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Annoyed Barça won’t pay Neymar bonus

Barcelona won't pay a 26 million euro bonus to Neymar for renewing his contract with the Catalan giants in 2016, a club spokesman said on Friday after his decision to join Paris Saint-Germain for a world record transfer fee.

Annoyed Barça won't pay Neymar bonus
Photo: AFP

Josep Vives admitted Barça had been left irritated by the Brazilian's decision to leave despite signing a new five-year deal last year as PSG paid his 222 million euro buyout clause to leave Barca powerless to prevent Neymar moving on.

“Any separation causes annoyance, especially when it is one not wished for by the club due to a unilateral decision on the part of the player,” Vives told a press conference at the Camp Nou.

“The player hasn't fulfilled his contract with the club…given that breach the club will not pay this renewal bonus.”

Barça had deposited the bonus with a notary to be paid on September 1 had Neymar remained at the club, but have already recovered the 26 million.

During his presentation as a PSG player on Friday, Neymar said that “at no point did I lack respect to the supporters or the club” in deciding to bring to an end his four years in Catalonia.

However, Vives insisted Barça are unhappy with the way in which his exit came about.

“There is annoyance at the decision, but also the way it came about.”

Yet, Vives claimed Barça can bounce back from losing out on La Liga and the Champions League last season with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez still among a star-studded squad.

“He is a great player, we have enjoyed him a lot, but the world doesn't end after Neymar,” he added.

“It is not the first time that we have gone through a situation like this and the club has continued, grown and become more universal.”

The move is not just a huge blow for Barça's prospects on the field, but their prestige as one of the world's richest and most successful clubs.

It is 17 years since Barça last lost one of their prized assets against their will when Real Madrid paid Luis Figo's buyout clause for a then world record fee.

READ ALSO: Spanish league stalls Neymar move to Paris Saint-Germain

ENVIRONMENT

Why has the expansion of Barcelona airport prompted mass protests?

Around 10,000 people demonstrated against the expansion of the El Prat airport in Barcelona on Sunday.

Why has the expansion of Barcelona airport prompted mass protests?
People march during a demonstration against the expansion of the Barcelona-El Prat airport. Photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP

Several ecological and agricultural organisations, have demanded that the expansion be stopped due to the fact nearby wetlands and farms would have to be destroyed.

The demonstration took place on Calle Tarragona in the Catalan capital between Plaça d’Espanya and Plaça dels Països Catalans.

The protests still took place, even though last week, Spain suspended the €1.7 billion airport expansion project, citing differences with the Catalan government, after president Pere Aragonès said he wanted to avoid destroying La Ricarda lagoon, a natural reserve next to the airport. 

Environmentalists decided not to call off the march, in case plans for the airport expansion still went ahead.

READ ALSO: Six things you need to know about Barcelona airport’s €1.7 billion planned expansion

Political representatives from ERC, En Comú Podem and the CUP also attended, as well as the leader of Más País, Íñigo Errejón; the Deputy Mayor for Ecology of the Barcelona City Council, Janet Sanz, and the Mayor of El Prat de Llobregat, Lluís Mijoler.

People from neighbourhoods across the city marched towards Calle Tarragona and could be seen holding placards that read Nature yes, airport no and shouting slogans such as “More courgettes and fewer planes” and “Fighting for the climate, health, and life”. 

One of the largest groups of people were those from El Prat de Llobregat, the municipality which is home to the airport, who were led by tractors. 

People march during a demonstration against the expansion of Barcelona-El Prat airport. Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP

In addition to protesting against the expansion of the El Prat airport, people were also demonstrating against the Winter Olympic Games in the Pyrenees and extensions to airports in Mallorca and Madrid. 

A representative of Zeroport, Sara Mingorría said “We are here to defend not only La Ricarda, but the entire Delta”. 

The philosopher Marina Garcés also argued that the expansion of the airport would mean “more borders, more mass tourism, more control and more precarious jobs.” 

The leader of the commons in the Catalan parliament, Jéssica Albiach, who also attended the protest, asked the PSOE for “coherence”: “You cannot be passing a law against climate change and, at the same time, defend the interests of Aena [the airport operations company]”, she said. 

She also urged the leader of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, to “definitely say no. 

If the airport expansion in Barcelona goes ahead, environmentalists say that CO2 emissions would rise by a minimum of 33 percent. These levels would surpass the limits set by the Catalan government’s climate targets.

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